Dance with the Storm
by Sylmarien
Summary: This is a small prelude to Crystal Tears. Nephrite takes a run through the park, what will he find there?


Nathan groaned as he opened the door and saw grey clouds covering the sky.

"Typical," he muttered to himself, "the one day I don't bring my umbrella to work it decides to rain."

Weighing up his options he decided to leave for his apartment and hope the rain held off until he got there, it wasn't worth it to stay at work waiting for it to let up, not with Beryl on the warpath.

"Please let it hold off," he begged the sky as he shrugged into his jacket and headed out the door.

~*~

Lita looked out her window and gave a whoop of delight, "Yes! This one's going to be biggy!" she cried in excitement. Grabbing her coat she raced out the door, heading for the park.

~*~

Nephrite groaned again as the rain started pelting down and the wind blew harder.

"Damn, damn, damn," he swore "Why do I always make the wrong decision when it comes to stuff like this?" he turned into the park knowing there was a little pavilion there where he could at least try and dry off. Running with the easy stride of a born athlete he wove his way through the partial shelter of the trees only to stop in amazement just inside the tree line as an otherworldly sight met his eyes.

A young woman, clad only in a light summer dress despite the cold was dancing in front of him like a nymph out of some legend of old. Her light brown hair was as wet as the ground and hung free as the wind whipped it around her body. Her feet were bare and covered with dirt and grass but she nevertheless danced gracefully and surely, as if the slippery mud underfoot was steady dry ground

Lightning flashed overhead and she laughed, holding her arms up to the sky as if to call it down it to her, the wind blew like a whirlwind with her at its centre, blazing like a star amidst the storms fury, revelling in it.

~*~

Lita whirled around dancing wildly as the wind sang through the park. Lightning flashed above her and she wished some would come down to play with her. As if in answer to her summons a great bolt roared down out of the heavens striking the ground only meters away from her. Thunder boomed in its wake and Lita laughed as the electricity discharged into the ground

"Come on," she chided the storm, "Give me something to dance to. I haven't been able to dance in so long."

The storm rumbled ominously and she grinned cheekily at the sky "Please? You know I love it when you go all out." A bolt of lightning flickered across the sky and Lita curtsied to the storm, "thank you" she called as in a rush of wind and rain the storm released all its pent up fury.

Thunder boomed time and again and Lita danced to its drumbeat, the incessant lightning turning night to day while the wind blew so hard it almost lifted her off her feet and all the time she laughed as if the violence of nature was nothing but her idea of fun.

_Oh I needed this._ She thought.

Her dance changed as she worked through all her different emotions, expressing them through her movements –her anger at the continuous youma appearances, her fear for her friends every time she went into battle, the happiness she felt when everyone met up at Rei's for another all night slumber party and the emptiness that assuaged her heart when she was alone, telling her that something was missing from her life. All these feelings and more she showed the storm, within its elemental fury she felt all her cares lifted away.

The storm took away her fear; it didn't acknowledge fear for the world trembled at its fury. The lightning blew away her anger; it felt only the pure joy of flight as it skipped across the sky. The clouds filled the emptiness of her heart because they themselves were filled with life giving water that they gleefully dropped on the green growing world beneath them. The storm knew, the storm understood.

As wind lashed the trees Lita called down the lightning "Play with me!" she called to it.

And so it did. Shooting down out of the sky it danced around her like a blazing shield, mimicking her movements as she laughed and performed ever more difficult moves. The lightning jumped and sparked around her like a live thing and every so often a spark would separate from the rest and jump up to kiss her cheek or forehead and she would giggle as if it was a loved brothers' kiss.

~*~

Nephrite watched the amazing display of power in front of him and was rooted to the spot. What kind of being was this girl that she could command a storm; play with lightning as if it were a friend and dance with the wind like a spirit of air. Totally entranced he didn't notice the cold or the rain, only the beautiful dancing girl in front of him.

Finally as the storm moved off she slowed down and then stopped. Totally drenched and covered in dirt from the knees down she nevertheless looked radiant, glowing almost as if she had absorbed some of the lightning's' brilliance. Rising up on tip toes she waved to the retreating storm which rumbled thunderously one last time,

"Thank you" she called after it and Nephrite actually wondered if the storm really did understand her.

~*~

"Thank you," Lita called as the storm moved on, her good humour completely restored. As it rumbled its reply she grinned then almost bounced over to the pavilion where she'd left her jacket. She never noticed the brown haired man hiding in the trees, still unable to move as he tried to process the event he'd just witnessed.


End file.
